Anomalies
by FullMetalPon-3
Summary: Dipper and Mabel are back in Gravity Falls for their first year of high school. In edition to studying the books, Dipper also wants to spend some time studying the town's many anomalies, first and foremost, a mysterious group of strangers who have only recently begun to call the town their home. *DISCONTINUED FEEL FREE TO ADOPT*
1. The Gentleman Scientist

**Agh, I have so many DS fanfics I want to be writing at the moment! Welp, I told my buds on the Klei forums that I would do this, so I'll try my best!**

 **I excluded Dipper's first name just because I think you should all learn it for yourselves in Journal 3.**

 _10-12-13 Hey, it's Dipper here! Guess where I am? Gravity Falls! Our school got damaged during an earthquake, so Mabel had the awesome idea to come up here for school until it was fixed, and surprisingly, our parents agreed._

 _We got ahold of Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford, and now, we're back till November! I have to keep up with my homework, but Grunkle Ford and I have plenty of anomaly hunting to do in the meantime!_

 _So, I'm going to get started with an anomaly I found as soon as I started school: The Gentlemen Scientist!_

 _Okay, that probably sounds kind of weird. Let me start over._

 _Yesterday was the first day of school…_

"C'mon Dipper! We have to get to science class!" Mabel declared, pulling Dipper across the hall. "You like all those dumb smart guys, and I want to meet everyone here!"

"Fine, fine," Dipper replied, following his sister at a much slower pace. "But I'd rather be out hunting anomalies with Ford."

"You can join that when we finish school! I want to make sure I get seat next to Candy and Grenda first!" Mabel demanded.

"Okay," Dipper complied, letting Mabel drag him. "But if that was what you wanted, you could have just said so."

They entered the classroom, which was empty of children, except for one seat already taken by a blond girl, and stopped short. They could see their teacher from behind the desk, but his appearance left quite a first impression on the two.

 _He had the weirdest hair ever! I didn't notice it until later, but it stuck up like a W. At first, I just thought that he really, REALLY loved hair gel. That is, until some strange things started happening._

The twins stared from the door frame at him, until he finally looked up and noticed them. "Oh, you two must be the ones staying here temporarily. Um… Mabel and…" He looked at a list on his desk.

"Just call me Dipper," Dipper said hurriedly. "No one will know who you're talking about if you don't."

The teacher gave him an odd look, but nodded. "Alright, that's fine, Dipper. I know another person who prefers his nickname to his real name. I'm Mr. Higgsbury. You can pick your seats." He gestured to the stools around the worktables.

Mabel picked one at an empty table and put her stuff onto the chair next to it to claim the seat, probably for Candy or Grenda.

Dipper looked for a suitable spot, scanning the room. He briefly considered sitting at the desk with the student with the short blond hair and the flower, but when he passed her, she looked up from the book she was reading and gave him a look that clearly said, 'Don't think about it, Buster.' The scar on her cheek made it look like she was ready to fight him to the death, if need be.

He chose the one behind her instead.

Soon, the other students entered. Dipper gave a brief wave to Pacifica, who returned it. Candy and Grenda entered, and the latter of the two wrapped Mabel in a bear hug. "IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!" she yelled, hoarsely.

"Please keep it down in the classroom, Ms. Grenda," Mr. Higgsbury requested from his desk. "Now, before we start, I want to introduce Mabel and Dipper Pines."

"We all know them!" the class shouted in unison, except for the blond girl.

Mr. Higgsbury took a step back, his hair bouncing slightly. Dipper narrowed his eyes. Odd.

"Well, um, then, I suppose no introductions are in order… Unless you want to tell Wendy something about yourselves?" he suggested, gesturing towards the girl with the flower in her hair. Her name was Wendy? She was nothing like the Wendy Dipper knew well.

Wendy, who still sat alone, looked up, then shook her head. "It's fine, Wilson," she replied. Wilson must be Mr. Higgsbury's first name. Dipper wondered how they were on a first name basis. "I don't really care."

…Rude.

He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. It bounced up again. "Alright. Fine. Today, we will be doing chemical experiments." He gained an odd sort of glow in his eyes.

Wendy raised her hand. "Are you sure you want to do this? Blowing things up seems more like something Willow would do."

"Who said I was blowing things up?!" he barked back at her. "I am a scientist, so I know what to do!" He noticed the whole class staring at him. "Um, I apologize for my outburst. And no, Wendy, I will not be blowing anything up; I am not that stupid."

"… Alright."

He shot her a look of annoyance and continued. "Of course, making chemicals explode is fun and all, and looks nice, but that's only the sort of thing that happens in silly old timey movies where someone turns into a werewolf or other nonsense. Most chemical reactions simply make a little bit of heat, or make bubbles. You need to mix two very volatile chemicals to make a real explosion."

He put on safety goggles and rubber gloves. "So, I'm going to show you some small reactions today, and then we will review them afterwards."

Dipper felt as though this would be rather boring. He had already experimented on all the chemicals in the kitchen in Piedmont since before he was five. Nevertheless, he got on his safety goggles, simply out of compliance.

"Now, baking soda and vinegar…" Mr. Higgsbury said, dumping the white powder into the cup, "simply fizzes over and makes a mess." The cup did just that. Dipper started to feel his eyes get heavy from boredom. "I'm sure you all know it's because it's an acid and a base." He picked up another bottle. "Now, I made this formula at home. It's mildly basic, and I'll mix it into an acidic liquid. This reaction should be a little bigger, but not by much."

"Wilson-" Wendy started, without raising her hand.

"Wendy, please save your comments for afterwards," he said, not paying attention. "Some people are trying to see science in action."

"But Wilson-"

"Not now, Wendy!" he cut her off. Carefully, he tipped the liquid in.

Wendy turned around to face Dipper. "I'd duck, if I were you," she whispered, then put her hands over her head and slipped silently to the ground, unknown to Mr. Higgsbury. Dipper glanced over to the teacher and did a double take. The mixture was starting to glow and increasing in brightness. He was just a second too short in following Wendy's lead.

Mr. Higgsbury began: "If-"

That was as far as he got before the mixture blew up in his face, sending a plume of smoke and a shock wave through the classroom.

Dipper felt his hat blow off. He blinked, trying to get the smoke out of his eyes. "Wh-*hack*-what was that?!" he choked out. He looked around. No one seemed hurt, but the astonishment was shared throughout the students.

Mr. Higgsbury emerged from the dust cloud, coughing like there was no tomorrow. "W-*hack-hack*-endy! What *hack* d-id you *hack* do?!"

 _His hair was all crazy from the explosion, and super out of shape. It looked like a rabid badger or something. Gotta admit, it was pretty funny._

Wendy emerged, dusting off her clothes. "I didn't do anything. I meant to tell you; that was Ms. Wickerbottom's concentrated fertilizer, not your weird science thing. It contains a few slightly explosive *cough* ingredients."

"And why *hack* didn't you tell me!?" Mr. Higgsbury coughed.

"Because you wouldn't let me," she stated.

He took a step back. "…I suppose I did. But only because you kept making rude comments before!"

"I believe an important part of chemistry is double-checking chemicals before mixing," she replied coolly.

His hair bounced back into place. "Oh… Oops."

 _Completely back to the W shape it was in before. Like nothing had even happened._

 _Things only got weirder from there._

"Well, I suppose that's an important lesson too!" he told them. "Don't do what I did, and check your chemicals!"

Blaring suddenly sounded. Mabel looked up. "Uh, what was that?"

Dipper knew that sound. "That would be the-" Water started falling from the sprinklers on the ceiling, soaking the class, the desks, and pretty much everything else. "-fire alarm."

The students screeched and ran out of the classroom, ignoring Mr. Higgsbury, who tried to rally them into a line, but failed.

Dipper shivered as soon as he went outside. There was a slight breeze, which quickly took away all warmth. Even Mabel in her sweater was struggling to keep warm.

Wendy stood apart from the group, closer to Mr. Higgsbury, and trying her best to look solemn while shivering wildly.

Mr. Higgsbury handed her his coat, which she reluctantly accepted. Now he was shivering even more. His hair had been slicked down by the water and was now plastered to his head, making it easy to see that it was much longer than it looked.

Finally the smoke cleared, and the class headed back inside. None of the staff looked too mad (except for the janitor). Dipper guessed things like this were probably normal for Gravity Falls.

As soon as they got back into the classroom, Mr. Higgsbury took some paper towels, and viciously scrubbed his hair. When he finished, his hair popped back into its original W-shape once again.

Dipper quickly got out his journal, scratching out a quick bust of his teacher, paying extra attention to the curves of his hair. He had gotten pretty talented at this fast sketching over the past year.

"Alright, sorry about all this," Mr. Higgsbury said, looking quite embarrassed. "No one was harmed, I hope?"

"They all seem to be fine, Wilson," Wendy replied, still shivering inside of his coat, "though you may want them to get home before they get pneumonia and die."

"Oh…" he looked over the class, struggling to keep warm, except for Grenda, who seemed rather indifferent. "I suppose that would be a good plan. Make sure you all get a good night's sleep for next week! We'll do dissections then!"

For the first time that entire day, Wendy's eyes actually brightened. "Oh, would you like help… gathering the specimens?"

Mr. Higgsbury took a step back, his hair fluffing up slightly. "Um, class dismissed!"

 _What the heck is his hair?! Does it respond to his emotions?! Is it an actual living thing on top of his head?_

 _This warrants further investigation. But first… I think I caught a cold from being outside, and I need to get some rest. I'll ask Grunkle Ford about it later._

 **Wendy has short hair, because she cut it while she was in the DS world. It is on her survival skin.**


	2. The Firestarter

**Oof, sorry for the late update. I've been trying to get ahead on my schoolwork and was trying to draw a big piece of digital art in time for the DST beta update (I succeeded). Also, work. Keep your priorities straight once you get a job, kiddies.**

 **This chapter came out a bit messy, and I think the next chapter will be a bit messy as well, but after that, things will most likely improve! (Wolfgang is next, btw.)**

 _10-14-13. Turns out, my science teacher and Wendy weren't the only new people in town. There are a whole bunch of them that moved here in the two months me and Mabel were gone! I haven't met many of them yet, but today I saw one in the gift shop. She was pretty odd…_

"Hey, dudes, check this out," Soos told Mabel and Dipper, who were scrubbing the side of the checkout counter, as per Stan's request. He pulled a box up from under the counter and gestured for them to look inside. Mabel peeked in and let out a squeal.

"Oh my gosh, Soos! These are amazing!" In her hands, she held a plushie of Soos in Mystery Man garb.

Dipper cracked a grin. "Those are a pretty good likeness."

"Thanks, guys," Melodie said, appearing from the "Employees Only" portion of the shop. "I made them."

"Melodie, you did?!" Mabel exclaimed. "You have to share your sewing tips with me!"

"Well, maybe after the shop closes, dudes," Soos said. "It should be pretty soon, we only have one customer left in here." He gestured to the corner of the shop, where a young woman with jet black hair in pigtails was peering at some of the snow globes on the shelves.

Mabel walked over, Dipper following close behind. "Having trouble picking? I like the ones with the little flowers in them best." Mabel gestured to said snow globes.

The woman turned very smoothly, conveying no surprise at Mabel's input. "No. I don't like flowers at all, except for the smell they make when they burn. And I don't really like water or snow, so snow globes make me unhappy. This is for a friend, not for me."

Mabel looked a bit surprised. How could someone not like flowers? "Oh… Well, what does this person like?"

The woman grabbed a pigtail and started curling it around her finger in thought. "Hmm, well, honestly, she just said she liked the idea of 'being forever trapped in a world of endless winter with no hope of escape'." Mabel and Dipper shared a disturbed look. The woman let out a laugh. It was a nice laugh. "Pretty creepy, I know, but she's about your age." She cast another look at the snow globes and threw up her hands. "I can't decide! I'll just come again soon."

She turned to leave, her boots clunking against the ground as she headed for the door. She opened the screen door, then stopped. "By the way, those are very nice." She gestured to the plushies. "Look like they would burn well."

Then she was gone.

"I guess tourists can be pretty weird, too," Dipper said, staring after her.

"Nah, she's not a tourist, dawg," Soos said, flipping the "Open" sign to "Close". "She moved in a few weeks ago with a whole bunch of other dudes. They live on the other side of town, in the forest. Don't see them much, though."

"Yeesh, you guys are terrible salespersons," Grunkle Stan said, entering from the living quarters of the shop. "You need to be more insistent. Tell them how they need some stuff to decorate their boring new house."

 _Grunkle Stan's idea of insistent means basically annoying people into buying junk. Sadly, it can be quite effective._

"I'll… keep it in mind next time," Dipper said. 'Never,' he added internally.

…

 _10-15-13 Tonight, Grunkle Ford is taking me and Mabel out camping. He said there've been some forest fires recently, and he thinks there may be a Scampfire or something else on the loose. Well, the quickest way to catch a Scampfire is to set up a campsite. And, honestly, this will just be a nice time to relax after school. Need to make sure Mabel packs plenty of marshmallows…_

"Wow, Grunkle Ford," Mabel said, looking at a map (upside-down). "You sure did write down a lot of the secret paths around these forests."

"And I doubt I've even begun to discover their full extent," Ford added, waving a six-fingered hand for emphasis. "There could be countless more!"

"So, where's the campsite?" Dipper asked, correcting the orientation of the map and checking his compass.

"Should be southeast of h-" Ford stopped suddenly. "Do you hear that?"

Mabel and Dipper tilted their heads, trying to detect whatever it was he heard. For a second, there was silence. Then, they heard it.

It was the sound of footsteps crunching the dry autumn leaves and sticks. The group turned towards the direction of the sound.

"That's odd," Ford said. "Normally, the townsfolk don't come out this far."

Mabel squinted into the woods. "Hey, wait, isn't that…" She waved her hand. "Hey! Snow globe lady!"

The sound stopped, and then came towards them. Sure enough, it was the black-haired woman whom they had seen in the gift shop yesterday.

She tromped towards them, onto the trail. "Oh, hello. Sorry, was this your property?"

"No, this is just wilderness," Ford told her, gesturing around. If she had noticed his sixth finger, she didn't say anything.

"Oh, good. I was still gonna walk here anyway, but I didn't want to get arrested," she nodded, looking a bit relieved. Ford raised an eyebrow.

"I'm surprised you're out this far," Ford told her. "Not many people come out here."

"Oh, I'm just… on a nature hike," she told them, shouldering her backpack. "I like to be around so many flammable trees. But I'm tracking animals right now."

"You hunt?" Mabel asked, surprised. She didn't like the idea of hunting, since many of the deer around Gravity Falls were friendly.

"Not anymore, but I still track animals," she said offhandedly.

Ford stared at her. "So, how long have you been… 'scouting for these hunting grounds?'"

"About three weeks," she replied.

"Have you ever been out here at night?" Ford asked her.

She put her hand on her chin in thought. "A few times, I guess. I usually light a fire if I do, though. I don't like the dark." An awkward silence ensued, as she noticed Ford glaring at her. "Well, I'll let you get back to your business. I need to keep following this trail."

She waved goodbye and headed back through the woods, patting the trees every so often.

"She seems to like fire…" Ford said, narrowing his eyes.

 _I knew what Grunkle Ford was thinking, and I was sort of afraid myself, but I decided to let it play out. I kind of regret that now._

…

That night, Ford had set up a campfire and some sleeping bags. Mabel and Dipper got as close to it as they could without burning themselves. The October nights were very cold.

"So," Dipper said, between bites of hotdog, "how do we try to attract this Scampfire or whatever it is?"

"Well, if it's a scampfire, it'll come when we're not looking," Ford said. "But I'm not entirely sure that it is."

"What do you mean," Mabel asked, putting chocolate on her s'more.

"Well, I've marked the locations of the fires," Ford told them, setting the map on the ground, and showing them the addition of some circles he had made on it. "And I'm from what I've studied about them, I don't think scampfires cover this much ground. There's something moving around out here, setting fires. Or someone."

"Someone…?" Dipper asked. "Grunkle Ford, you don't think that lady is doing it, do you?"

"Dipper, maybe she's not trying to hurt anyone, but it makes sense. The fires started just after she and her whole troop moved into Gravity Falls nearly every night! Plus, with the natural weirdness magnet of this town, it wouldn't really be too much of a surprise if a pyromaniac came here." He stood up. "Now, I know you two are strong, so I'm going to give you a very important job." He tossed them a walkie talkie. "If she starts another fire, just call me. I know plenty of spells that can subdue her." He put out the fire and started putting away their supplies. "Meet me back here in two hours if you don't find anything."

Mabel slipped the walkie-talkie into her pocket. "O-okay…" She pulled out a flashlight. "Let's go Dipstick."

…

The woods were really creepy at night; that was for sure. The flashlight and lantern Dipper and Mabel held provided plenty of light, but the shadows in the tips of their vision made them jump plenty of times. Every now and then, they heard growls and howls, though they sounded distant. Didn't bring much comfort.

"How much longer do we have to be out here for?" Mabel asked.

Dipper checked his watch. "Another hour." He sighed. "Look, I know this isn't fun, but we need to stop these fires. Even if they're not hurting anyway yet, they could spread or endanger the animals that live in this part of the forest. And what Ford said sorta makes sense. I mean, she really seemed to like fire, and she's been out here at night for the past three weeks. Saying she's hunting something is a pretty lame excuse."

"But what if there really is some magicky creature setting fire to stuff out here?" Mabel asked. "Maybe there's something Grunkle Ford doesn't know about!"

"He's studied these woods for years, Mabel," Dipper countered. "What could he not know-" Off in the distance, Dipper spotted something suspended above the ground. It was difficult to make out, but since Dipper was looking for it, it was easy to guess what it was.

The flickering orange light of a flame. It was a lighter, and whoever was holding it was moving quickly.

Dipper grabbed the walkie-talkie. "Ford, we found something. I think it's her!"

"I'm on my way now!" Ford's muffled voice came back.

The light suddenly stopped moving, and switched direction. Their direction.

"Mabel, turn off your light!" Dipper whispered frantically, shutting his off.

She obeyed, but it was a little too late. The light had already reached them just as Mabel turned the flashlight off. And sure enough, the possessor of the lantern was the woman with the pigtails, looking quite surprised and angry. Dipper put a hand in his vest and tightened his grip on his pocket-knife.

"What are you two doing out here in the middle of the night?!" she practically yelled.

"We could ask you the same thing!" Dipper said, stepping back. "Why are you out here!?"

"I told you, I'm tracking!" she said, waving her lighter aggressively.

Dipper growled. "That's such a lame excuse! You're just lying because you want to start more fires!"

She stiffened, then looked even more angry. "I'm not the one starting the fires! I'm trying to find whatever was! That's what I was tracking! And that's why you have to get out of here! Because I'm pretty sure they're close by!"

"Why should we-" Dipper started, before a loud sound interrupted him. It was a howl, like a wolf, but deeper and very close. Mabel grabbed her brother's arm and flicked her lantern back on.

"Bad!" the woman exclaimed. "Change of plans! Stay close to me and keep that lantern on!"

"W-wolves?" Mabel asked, frantically looking around.

The woman stood in front of them. "No, it's a lot worse than that." A rustling through the brush accompanied by barking signaled the approach of several animals. A dark shape burst into the light, and Dipper realized, she was right. "It's a pack of hounds."

 _I know that makes it sound like a giant dog, right? Okay, maybe scary, but not scarier sounding than a wolf._

 _I can assure you, that although wolves are terrifying, they have nothing on these guys._

 _They're not as fast, but they are way bigger. They're dumber, too, but you can tell something is wrong with these guys. And, while most of them are black, some of them are red. And that's when all the pieces started to click together._

The woman reached into her backpack, exchanging her lighter for a far more threatening weapon. It was a curved sword and pure black; its blade seemed to warp in the light, as though trying to dissolve into shadows.

"Stay behind me," she told them. "If you see a chance to run, take it."

There were at least six monsters, and they were slowly approaching, growling with increasing ferocity. The woman growled back, as though trying to confuse them. She pulled something long and thin from a strap on her back and tossed it behind herself at the twins. It landed on the ground in front of them, hitting the dry leaves with a crunch.

"Take this if you need to fight," she said, not turning. "Try not to hit the red ones." Dipper realized what she had thrown was a spear. He picked it up with shaking hands.

That set the hounds off. The one in the front let out a howl, and ran for Mabel and him, before receiving a slice to the face, thanks to the black sword of the woman. It gave a screech and turned to attack her instead.

The others saw who was attacking their leader, and charged for her. The woman slashed her sword in a wide arc to keep them away, doing little to discourage the dogs, though it did manage to slice one across the chest and make it fall to the ground. As soon as the life left it, its body burst into a wave of flame, igniting some of the dry leaves. The heat terrified the other hounds, but the woman was unfazed.

"Not on my watch," she snarled. "You're not touching them!"

The hounds circled around her once the flames died, completely ignoring the twins. She hissed and slashed her sword again, the beasts simply moving back to dodge it.

"Dipper we have to help her!" Mabel said, grabbing his hands.

Dipper tightened his hands painfully hard around the spear and tried to steady his breathing. He gulped and leapt forward with a cry, jamming the spear into the tough hide of one of the dogs.

It let out a satisfying yelp of pain, distracting the herd long enough for the woman to get another hit in. This dog died without the flames, thankfully.

However, their good luck did not last long. When the dog had fallen, it had wrenched the sword out of the woman's hands. The other dogs closed in before she could reach it again, and tightened their circle, their snarls almost sounding like laughter.

"Run!" she screamed. "Run while you can!"

Dipper knew that that was the smartest thing. There was no way he could beat these thing with just a spear. But his legs wouldn't move, because, inside, he knew this woman would certainly die if she was left here without a weapon. Besides, Mabel would never let him.

With a cry, he grabbed the sword out of the body of the dead dog, and slashed into the body of one of the ones surrounding her. He was amazed at how incredibly sharp it was for how light it felt: destroying the hide of the dog like it was nothing. It made him feel really powerful, but it was overwhelming, and he knew there was magic involved.

Unfortunately, the strike did not kill the animal, and instead, only reminded the pack that the twins were still there.

Two of the animals leaped onto them, crushing them to the ground, while the remaining two pinned the woman down.

Mabel screamed and hit it as hard as she could in the nose, though it did little good. The sword had flown out of Dipper's hand and was somewhere in the bushes where he could not reach it.

The hound snarled in glee, snapping to show off its very white, very sharp, teeth.

It prepared to chomp down, and Dipper raised his hands to shield his face, when suddenly, there was a loud bang and a flash of light. He felt the dog's heavy body fly off of his, and he got up as quickly as he could. There was another bang, the light hit the dog on top of Mabel. Their heavy bodies hit the ground with a thud.

Dipper and Mabel looked over to the source of the light and saw… "Grunkle Ford!" they cried in relief. He was holding a gun he had presumably gotten from the multiverse.

"Stand back, kids," Ford told them. "I need a clear shot." He aimed for the hounds still trying to tear into the woman.

Mabel suddenly perked up like she remembered something. She grabbed something off the forest floor and threw it in the woman's direction. It was the black sword. "Catch!"

The throw was perfect and landed right in front of her, rather than gutting her, thankfully. She grabbed it and stabbed one of the dogs, kicking it away for good measure. She backed away, though she was obviously in some pain from having two huge monsters standing on her chest.

The remaining hound closed in on her, and her back hit a tree trunk, making her unable to move any further. It looked as though it was gloating.

"Got it!" Ford said, pulling the trigger of the gun. The hound didn't even have the time to look surprised as it was hit by the energy bolt.

However, as soon as it fell to the ground, its body burst into flames, completely engulfing the woman and the ground around it.

The Pines backed up at the sudden burst of heat. "Oh no, she's gonna get burned!" Dipper exclaimed, frantically pulling off his jacket to see if he could use it to dampen the fires.

Ford pulled off his coat and started swatting at them.

Mabel looked as though she was ready to cry. "I don't think we can do it…"

"Do what?" came a voice. The flames started to die down, and from it emerged the woman, completely unscathed. She kneeled down by the quickly dying flames. "Oh, goodbye, my pretty little fire. I will miss you," she mourned.

"You're okay!" Dipper exclaimed.

Grunkle Ford stared, amazed. "You have pyro-immunity?!"

She scratched her head in thought. "I guess. That's what the science-dork calls it… I mean, it's really not that special. I've had it my whole life… I think."

"But did you start the fires?" Mabel asked.

"I have started a lot of fires in my day, sometimes on purpose, mostly by accident," she told them, kneeling beside the corpse of one of the red dogs, "but these guys started them, not me." She pulled out a hunting knife and sliced open its stomach. Purple blood oozed to the ground. Dipper felt Mabel cringe next to him. "Specifically, these red ones. They start fires, as you can see." She reached her hand inside of it with a sickening squelching noise and rooted around for something. "Ah, got it."

Her hand was covered in disgusting liquids, but in it was grasped a bright red gem (not a ruby). She walked over to the other corpse and performed the same procedure.

"Sorry that these guys are here," she apologized, slipping the gems in her pocket and wiping the blood on her shirt, not seeming to care about the stains that were sure to occur. "It's kind of my fault. There are probably more out in the woods, but this was the only pack close to town." She glanced at Dipper. "You were holding that sword, right?" He nodded. "So you probably have one heck of a headache right now." She pulled something covered in paper out of her backpack and slipped it into his hands. "These should help, but it's best to get a good night's sleep. Bye." She turned and headed back through the forest, flicking on her lighter.

"Wait!" Mabel called.

She turned. "Yeah?"

Mabel looked as though she was struggling with what to say. "Um, if you still want that snowglobe, it's on the house."

It was too dark to see, but it looked as though she might have been smiling. "Sounds good. Hold it under the name 'Willow'." And she was gone.

…

 _Well she was right about one thing; I had a huge headache afterwards. But she gave me some… cookies. Strangely enough, they did seem to help. We haven't seen "Willow" since then, but maybe we should just try to go into town and find her._

 _Because of the Weirdness magnetism of Gravity Falls, I wonder if the other people she moved to town with have special abilities, too. I hope I'll find out before I have to go back for the year._

 **The survivors may have escaped the shadow world… but who's to say they're the only beings that did?**


	3. The Strongman

**I am so sorry this took so long, but I've been so busy with art and school and work- AND I WON ADVENTURE MODE FINALLY! *confetti***

 **Now, I can return to what little life I had before. Apologies.**

 **Forgot to mention it before, but I'll draw you a digital art piece in exchange for DST skins if anyone is interested! My DA is TearsofCHIckenSoup, if you'd like to see my art. My Steam is ExtollerofTrolls. I'll accept any skin, though you'll get more involved art depending on what you give me (Example: Common Skin = digital sketch VS. Elegant = Full lineart and color)! (If my profile pic is of Wilson and Wigfrid arguing, I drew that, just so you can get an idea, though it took twelve hours, so you're not getting something like that no matter what you give me.)**

 **I rarely play as Wolfgang, because I can barely keep from starving with normal hunger modifiers, so apologies if this one seems rushed and, well… not very much about Wolfgang.**

 _10-18-13 Today was the day where the manotaurs are at their most afraid and Waddles is at his least. The Gravity Falls Annual Beef Eating Contest._

 _We decided to go because Soos entered in the contest to beat Manly Dan, who's won for the past five years straight. Since he's been practicing for over a year with his infinity pizza, he thought he might finally have a chance._

 _Today, however, something happened that surprised the whole town…_

"Alright dudes, this is going to be a hard battle," Soos said, tying on a headband decorated with pizza. "But I've had an excellent trainer all year." He held up the box where he kept his precious Infinity pizza. How it stayed fresh forever must have been part of the time magic used to create it.

"Soos, we have our utmost confidence placed in you," Mabel told him seriously, patting his back. "Mister Mystery," she added.

Soos narrowed his eyes. "This is gonna be the year Manly Dan goes down, bros!" The three of them let out a cheer, which attracted some attention from some onlookers. They didn't really care.

"C'mon Dipper, let's go out and spy on the competition," Mabel said, dragging him along. "We'll be back in half-an-hour, Soos!"

Dipper and Mabel headed out of the pavilion they were in, and headed around the contest grounds. The smells of barbecue sauce, smoke, and fried meat wafted through the air, adding a delicious scent to the crisp fall air.

Along the way, they met Pacifica, who had snuck away from home to be here, Candy, Grenda, Oldman Mcgucket, and some of Wendy's (Corduroy) friends.

They were just about to head back when a loud sound of a table crashing to the ground, accompanied by some very angry yelling.

Dipper and Mabel shared a look and ran over to see what had transpired.

They arrived at the buffet table, and found a well-muscled, redheaded woman with long braids had flipped it and its contents to the ground. An extremely scrawny, mustached man with a scar over his left eye stood close by, looking very uncomfortable.

"Potato salad?! This is not food of the gods!" the woman bellowed. "Where is the steak and ribs?! I desire to see bones sticking out of my food! Not this oil ridden slop!"

"Wolfgang says that potato salad has egg and bacon in," the scrawny man quietly inputted.

The woman looked up. "Oh, is that so?" She looked at it strewn across the floor. "Then I suppose I can tolerate it." She went over, picking up what was still left in the bowl, and started to chow down.

"Uh, should we do something?" Mabel asked.

"I… I'd rather not get involved. You know how people around this town can be," Dipper replied. The two backed slowly back out of the pavilion, watching the woman scarf down the food without even using utensils.

"Wonder why that lady would be stuffing her face before the contest, though."

…

Finally, when the clock struck eight, it was time for the contest to start. Mabel gave Soos one last thumbs up, and pushed him to the buffet table where it taking place.

"Alright, Soos," Mabel said, "just remember: the Pines Family is rooting for you!"

"With you two dudes backing me up, anything's possible!" Soos grinned.

Mabel and Dipper walked to some bleachers on the other side of the table, and sat down, next to Robbie's parents, who gave them a very chipper greeting. "Let's hope someone doesn't have to get their stomach pumped like last year!"

Dipper and Mabel quietly slid away. They were nearly on the side of the seat, when Mabel bumped into someone. "Oh, sorr-"

"Hark! Be it those tiny warrior twins Maiden Willow has told me of?" a woman practically yelled. Mabel and Dipper turned behind themselves to see the red-haired woman behind them, a fantasy novel clutched in her hands, though she didn't' seem to be paying much attention to it now.

"Uh, you know Willow?" Dipper asked.

"Indeed I do! A brave lass and a very good friend!" she said. "However, her cooking and storytelling leaves a bit to be desired."

"Wait, shouldn't you be at that table?" Mabel asked. "The competition is going to start any minute."

"Alas, everything about me is hearty but my appetite," she sighed, as though this was a drama. "Despite being a chosen warrior of Odin, I do not have much of an appetite. Wolfgang, my comrade in arms, is competing."

"The scrawny guy?" Mabel asked. "But he's… tiny!"

"Hehe, you have yet to witness the terrible power of the Wolf," Wigfrid told them with a dark grin. "His strength may even exceed my own, if only for an instant." She turned to the table once more. "Ah, the competition is about to start. There are few sports nobler than that of feasting!"

Dipper wanted to argue with that, but he kept his tongue. He saw Soos take his seat at the table and gave him a thumb's up. True to Wigfrid's word, the scrawny man was also at the table, biting his lips and looking generally miserable.

Wigfrid gave a wave to him, which he meekly returned.

Mayor Cutebiker stepped up and stood as tall as he could, in an effort to look important. "Alright, now all you fellas probably know the rules; eat until you can't eat anymore, or you puke. If you just want to withdraw, raise your hand. Simple!" He held up a flag.

"On your marks…"

Manly Dan gave the entire table a death glare, which Soos returned.

Wigfrid, Dipper, and Mabel leaned forward in anticipation, Mabel and Wigfrid almost falling off their seat.

"GO!" And he waved the flag down.

Each participant chowed grabbed the biggest piece of steak they could find and began to chow down.

"Ah, delicious," Wigfrid said, nodding in agreement with the carnage. "My only wish is that they were able to hunt the feast themselves. There is nothing more satisfying than devouring that which you slayed. It is such a pity we no longer partake in that past-time."

Dipper was unsure how to respond to that. He glanced over at Mabel to make sure she had not heard this comment, then turned back to Wigfrid. "Uh… do you hunt?"

"Oh, yes! At least, in the past," she explained, sounding just the slightest bit nostalgic. "We no longer have to."

 _Meaning she did have to? Odd._

She turned back to the competition. "Aha! The second course has begun!"

Dipper looked over and nearly jumped. While Soos seemed to be struggling, and Manly Dan seemed to be going strong, Wolfgang was speeding up and eating even more ravenously than before. In fact, he seemed to almost look less scrawny…

"Woah, your friend is really good!" Mabel said, eyes widening.

"Guess we shouldn't have underestimated him," Dipper agreed. Suddenly, Mabel poked his shoulder.

"Uh… Dipper? I think Soos is gonna be sick," Mabel said, pointing him out. He did, indeed, look a bit queasy.

"Oh… Oh, no! Soos! You don't have to do it if you feel sick!" Dipper said, waving.

Soos looked at the meat in front of him with a face of revulsion. He tried to raise the steak to his lips just one more time, sending a glare at Manly Dan. Then he slammed it back down on his plate.

Dipper and Mabel let out a sigh as he raised his hand. "Oh well, I guess that's okay. He did try really hard."

Mayor Tyler acknowledged his defeat and sent him off, handing him a fifth place ribbon. He walked over to join them. "Sorry, dudes… I was gonna try, but Abuelita always told not to eat food if it wasn't enjoyable."

"That's okay, Soos," Mabel comforted. "You did really good."

"There's always next year," Dipper added. "Manly Dan can't keep up his streak forever."

Wigfrid stared at them for a second, then let out a laugh. "Oh, haha! I'm sure Walani of the Sparkling Seas can eat more than he can! And she pales in comparison to Wolfgang! We may have only arrived in this town recently, but you cannot be so quick to underestimate us! Wolfgang will win." She said this without an ounce of doubt in her voice. "Look closely, and you will see the great power of the Wolf!"

The three of them glanced over to the table and gave a start. Wolfgang had definitely grown in size. His muscles bulged, he was taller, and even his mustache seemed to have grown.

"Uh, is that normal…?" Mabel asked.

"Is anything in this town normal?" Dipper answered with a question.

"Wait, dudes, I think this guy might actually stand a chance," Soos stated. "He's going even faster than before."

"Wolfgang eats so much we used to seek out the terrible Giants of the seasons to feed him," she explained, darkly.

"The Giants?" Dipper asked.

"Yes," Wigfrid replied. "Behemoths with power far beyond those of human understanding. They could cause insanity just by their appearance. Actually fighting them…" she shivered. "Well, hearing their approach in the dead of night… it's when you learn what true terror is."

"And… where was this?"

She glanced to the side. "Uh… Canada?" For the first time, her voice lost its dramatic flair and sounded like a normal woman who had been caught red-handed. She quickly looked back towards the contest, and she seemed to regain her composure. "Oh, haha! Now we see our true victor!"

The three looked back, only to hear a loud crash. Manly Dan lay on the ground, gripping his stomach, while Wendy stood over him, shaking her head. The crashing sound had come from Wolfgang picking up the table and spilling its contents to the ground. At this point, he was nearly twice as tall as Soos, and he was so muscular his shirt had split open.

"Our winner is Wolfgang!" Mayor Tyler declared, gesturing towards the giant of a man.

Dipper, Mabel and Soos got down from the bleachers, standing by Wendy.

"Woah, that guy, like, creamed my dad," she remarked, impressed.

"Aha!" Wigfrid screamed in joy. "The power and appetite of the Wolf is even greater than that of the Bearger!" She jumped off the bleachers with a flip and landed lightly on her feet. She vaulted into the air and landed on his shoulders. "There is no strength greater than that of meat!"

"No, Viking lady," he boomed. "We are stronger than meat!"

She grinned and jumped down. "Hah! Spoken like a true warrior! I only wish we had a monster to best. I'm sure you and I could conquer this world, given our strength!"

There was the sudden sound of footfalls on concrete. "WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?!"

The present parties not currently incapacitated, turned towards the voice. "Mr. Higgsbury?!"

"Tiny science man?!"

"Sir Wilson?!"

"Crazy hair dude?"

Sure enough, the gentleman scientist himself stood there, looking positively peeved. "Miss Wickerbottom specifically told you two not to come here! What is wrong with you?!"

"Uh…" Wigfrid glanced guiltily to the side. "We… We wanted to once more know the taste of victory!"

"Go to the store and buy some meat, then!" Mr. Higgsbury yelled at her. "And you!" He rounded on Wolfgang, who looked surprisingly terrified, despite the major height differences. Dipper couldn't blame him; their teacher was looking very much like a rabid squirrel, hair floofed up to match. "You… HOW MUCH DID YOU EAT?!"

"Er… was no stopping," Wolfgang replied, looking at his feet.

Mr. Higgsbury looked as though he was ready to explode. He then took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "Just for once… can't you two be responsible? Please… I'm begging you."

"A warrior does not take commands from the likes of a weakling like you," Wigfrid pushed him back.

"You're not a warrior! You're a delusional actress!"

 _That explains a lot._

He took another deep breath. "If you two don't come back right now, I'll tell Wickerbottom and Wendy. And I don't think they'll be quick to let you two out of sight again."

"Ha, as if I fear that crone, and the young one," Wigfrid boasted, puffing out her chest. "Right Wolf?"

Dipper looked to the strongman only to see him shaking in fear, sweat running down his face. "Wait, don't tell scary girl!"

"Then come back, and I won't," Wilson told him. He turned back to everyone. "I apologize for my friends." He turned and stomped out, Wolfgang following meekly after.

Wigfrid let out a laugh. "Ha, as if I'd return because of-!" Wolgang picked her up and carried her under his arm. "Hey, put me down! Lemme go!" She struggled and tried to hit him, but she might as well have been hitting a rock. "You're gonna mess up my hair!"

"Oh, shut up," Wilson told her. "I don't if I like you more or less when you're in character."

They headed back out into the dark, turning on flashlights.

"Well, seems like the streak for the contest has been broken," Mayor Tyler announced. "I hope they don't know that the reward for winning was a year's worth of meat; they'd probably eat enough to use up the town's treasury."

 _That guy must have some sort of really weird metabolism. How do you convert food into muscle that fast. Like always, it requires more investigation. That actress was pretty weird, too. She must have a crazy imagination._

 _I wonder why that guy was so afraid of the Wendy at school, though. She's creepy, sure, but she's just a teenager._


	4. The Bereaved

**HI! In the time I spent procrastinating writing this, I've finished Psychonaut's Figgy Piggy achievement, started writing a fanfic for a different fandom and come up with ideas for new fanfics, bought Christmas presents for most of my friends, and cut about 7 billion Christmas cookies at work. (Sorry. This was ended up being really long.)**

 **I headcanon Wendy as being psychic before she came to the Shadow Realm. Her time there amplified her abilities, though.**

 **...**

 _11/02/13_

 _Mabel here! This is a really sad story! Dipper said I should write this entry because… well, you'll see._

As Mabel was walking home from school, she felt a prickle on her back, as though someone was walking behind her. She stopped and turned around, however, only to see nothing. She fingered the straps of her backpack (Friendship Princess Equines™ brand) nervously.

Dipper noticed her wariness. "You okay?"

She took on a cheerful expression. "Fpptt, yep! I'm fine! I think I just ate too much Halloween candy."

"I, personally, did not think you had a limiter on your sugar intake," Dipper said, turning back to the trail leading back to the shack.

"What? Of course I do! I limit it to the amount of candy I have! I got sick from eating yours!"

Their arguing could be heard all the way up the path to the Mystery Shack.

As the twins continued walking home, they didn't notice the short-haired blond girl peeking out from behind a tree behind them. She quietly slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out a large flower, nearly blooming, despite being cut. She lifted it up to her face.

She exhaled softly onto it, a slight shiver running down her spine at the cold sensation rippling off of it. She then quietly tucked it back into her pocket once more and turned the opposite way to go home.

Dusk was coming.

…

When Dipper and Mabel came into the science classroom a bit early, they noticed Mr. Higgsbury seemed to be in a bit of a panic. He was tapping his desk nervously and muttering under his breath.

"Uh… Hello?" Dipper tentatively said.

He looked up suddenly. "Oh, hi. You two haven't seen Wendy, have you?" He furrowed his brow in thought for a moment. "Uh, the Wendy with the short blonde hair. Not the red-haired one."

"No," Dipper stated. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Mr. Higgsbury bit his lip in nervousness. "She left this morning to go to school before me, but she's not here now, and I can't find her anywhere. I have to make sure to keep an eye on her."

"Are you guys related?" Mabel asked.

There was a brief look of revulsion on his face. "Wha-OF COURSE NOT!" The twins flinched at the forcefulness of the answer. He seemed to realize how cold he sounded and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Er, what I mean to say is... I'm her caretaker of sorts, since I've known her for a long time. I keep an eye on her during the day."

"Oh, did her parents send her here with you? Our parents let us come to stay with our Great Uncle!" Mabel said, looking a bit excited. "We can help her adjust! It was a little tricky the firs-" Dipper gave her a nudge and gestured towards their teacher. He was wincing, as though he was physically in pain.

"Uh… Well, she lived in the house of her uncle…" he told them, sounding rather uncomfortable. "He thought she needed a change in environment, so he sent her here with us." He took a breath. "He asked me to take care of her, so I need to find out where she went."

"We'll do it!" Mabel exclaimed, stepping forward, much to Dipper's dismay. "You get ready for class!"

Mr. Higgsbury seemed a bit reluctant. "If you're really sure..." He looked back down at all the science experiments written on a sheet. "I do have a lot of work to do to get ready for class... Alright, just make sure to get back in time."

"Okay, c'mon bro! We've got a blonde to find!" Mabel said cheerfully and dragged her annoyed brother out.

...

"Why are we doing this?" Dipper asked. "We don't even know her."

"C'mon, Dipper!" Mabel protested. "She's probably just not comfortable. She just needs a friend!"

"But she's so creepy…" Dipper said. "She always has her eyes super wide and that scar on her face makes me nervous. Plus, she looked way too happy when we were dissecting frogs."

Mabel gave him a stare. "You just don't like her because she has the same name as Wendy…"

He sputtered slightly. "Well, I mean, she is creepy…"

Mabel rolled her eyes and continued down the hall, with Dipper reluctantly trailing her.

It was nearly time for them to head back, when Mabel heard something. It sounded like berating. Mabel grabbed her brother's arm and peeked around the corner. It was Wendy, and she was being criticized by another girl, Ariel, if Mabel recalled correctly. She used to see her hanging out around Pacifica, but she now had her own popular girl group, since Pacifica's family had lost their mansion.

"-dressed like a slob, no make-up, hanging out around that psycho of a teacher-" she was telling the blonde.

"Wilson's not a psycho," Wendy interrupted, glaring up at the significantly taller girl. "He can be ignorant, but he's not a psycho…"

Mabel was a bit surprised. Wendy seemed to do nothing but point out Mr. Higgsbury's mistakes while she was with him. She actually was defending him?

"Maybe to you. Don't act like you aren't a little freak yourself," Ariel brushed her off.

Wendy continued to stare up at her, unblinking. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I know that you follow Mabel and Dipper every day after school, you little stalker," Ariel told her. Mabel and Dipper both were stunned into silence.

For the first time, Wendy actually began to look a little nervous. She gulped, but Ariel was just beginning.

"Oh, and everybody saw those other weirdos you live with: crazy actress, crybaby strongman, lunatic lumberjack. With the types of freaks you guys group together in, you're obviously insane too," she laughed. She pushed Wendy back, and the girl stumbled a bit, almost falling. "No wonder no one wants to get close to you."

Wendy looked at the ground, her eyes obscured by her hair. At first, Mabel thought she was crying. Then, the lights started flickering, and despite there being windows nearby, the hallway darkened considerably. In fact, the only source of light was a small, slightly pink circle around Wendy.

Ariel took a step back and Dipper got out his new journal. Something was wrong.

Finally, Wendy replied, her voice deathly soft and calm. "Do you really think that we are crazy? Perhaps we are. After all, no human could expect to go through what we did and still retain their rationality. But, just as insanity comes at a price, there are gains one can receive from it." She slowly raised her head.

Wendy's eyes had turned pure white, no irises or pupils. "I know this better than anyone." She reached her hand into her backpack and pulled out a large red chrysanthemum and a jar with a live monarch butterfly in it. The air suddenly became about twenty degrees colder. "Would you like to see the powers I've received?"

Ariel started backing away, fearful that she had just awakened a monster. She did the smart thing; she turned and ran for her life, not even seeing Mabel and Dipper as she passed them.

Then, just as suddenly as the lights had dimmed, they lit up once more. Wendy's eyes once again had pupils and irises. "That's too bad. I would have liked it."

The bell rang overhead, startling Mabel and Dipper. Wendy placidly looked up and began to place the objects back into her backpack.

Dipper was trying to pull Mabel away from the girl, who would turn around any second. But Mabel wasn't going to have any of it.

"Hey, girlfriend!" she greeted, jumping from behind the corner and startling the short-haired girl. She dropped the jar with the butterfly and nearly dropped the flower, floundering to catch it with the tips of her fingers.

Mabel watched the butterfly glide off, out of the remains of the shattered glass. "Uh... Do you need any help cleaning that up?"

Wendy stared at her, her lower lip quivering. Now that Mabel was this close to her, she could see how deep the scar on her cheek was, how skinny and short she was, and how pale blue her eyes were. "No…" she replied, voice wavering. "D-did you s-see…?"

"Pfft, weird clouds, huh?" Mabel said, trying her best to sound light-hearted. It did sound that way, but having Dipper glare over her shoulder at the girl made it difficult to keep it up. "I mean… uh, hey! Ariel really shouldn't have treated you like that! She didn't hurt you when she pushed you, right?" She reached out for the girl's clenched hands. However, in doing so, her fingers brushed up against the flower she held clasped.

Wendy smacked her and shoved her to the ground. Then, a look of intense guilt spread across her face.

Dipper stepped in front of Mabel. "Stay away from us! Don't ever get close to us again, or I'll… Or I'll… I'll make you regret it!"

Wendy continued staring at them, even as Dipper dragged Mabel down the hall, back towards the classroom. Mabel was pretty sure she didn't move a muscle as she watched them go.

When they got back, Dipper told Mr. Higgsbury they hadn't seen her, glaring at the ground as he did so.

Wendy didn't show up for class. And she didn't show up the next day. Or the day after that.

Mabel finally couldn't take staring at her empty seat anymore and asked Mr. Higgsbury, who looked increasingly worried, if she was feeling sick.

"She… ran away," he said, miserable. "I don't know why… Did I do something wrong? We've been looking for her for days."

Dipper twitched behind Mabel, obviously feeling immense guilt. The twins didn't know how to reply to his statement.

So they didn't and instead sat quietly in their seats, not paying any attention at all.

…

Dipper and Mabel walked through the woods, and for once, neither one was particularly talkative. Grunkle Ford had noticed their silence and had thought they could do with a little fresh air.

It wasn't really helping.

"I wonder where she could have gone," Mabel sighed, finally. "This town isn't that big…"

"I just hope Mr. Higgsbury finds her," Dipper replied. "It's starting to get really cold."

They looked up at the sky. It was starting to dim a bit, and the twins decided it was probably time to get back home.

"C'mon," Dipper said to his sister. "I know a shortcut."

Mabel kept her head down to keep the wind from chilling her cheeks. She enjoyed the nice crunching noise her sneakers made every time she stepped down on the leaves and the sweet, sharp scent of rotting leaves. But there was something else there… A smell that didn't belong…

"Hey, what's that?" Dipper said, breaking her out of her thoughts. He was pointing to what appeared to be an upside down basket. And there was something underneath it, struggling.

Mabel stared at it, then slowly walked to it. "Mabel! What are you doing!?"

"There's something trapped under there! What if it's a fairy or something?" she asked.

Dipper made an annoyed noise in his throat. "Fine… But be prepared to run…"

Mabel nodded and cautiously stepped forward and placed her hand on the top. She took a breath and lifted it up quickly, backing away as she did so. She gasped in shock, for underneath was a terrifying… rabbit.

"Does it have horns?" Dipper asked. Indeed, the poor creature, stunned with fear, did have horns, as well as pure white eyes. "Oh, it's a jackalope! I didn't know they were real! We have to show it to Ford!"

Mabel picked it up, cradling it in her arms. "Hey, little buddy… It's alright. Who would trap a little sweetheart like you?" She scratched it under its chest, feeling the rapid beat of its heart.

"Um… Mabel?" Dipper said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "I think that's who."

Mabel looked up. Standing in front of them, wearing rather stained clothes, was their missing schoolmate, Wendy. And in her hands, she held a spear, rather shoddy looking, but still very dangerous. She stared at them with an unreadable expression, then turned and ran down the trail.

"Wait!" the twins called. In unison, the two chased after her. It was not easy. The girl was very light-footed while the twins tripped on the branches and sticks strewn across the path.

But suddenly, she fell to the ground, and it looked painful. She looked behind her, almost as if she was terrified of the siblings chasing her, and struggled to get back to her feet. She succeeded and kept running, but more slowly, and clutching her arm.

Finally, Mabel and Dipper had nearly caught up with her, when she collapsed, tripping and banging her head on a rock. She did not move.

Mabel and Dipper gasped and sped forward. Dipper flipped her over, gently and found she was unconscious.

"She's so light…" Dipper noticed.

"I think she hasn't been eating…" Mabel said, looking at the pale complexion. "Or at least, not as much as she should be. That's probably why she kept falling. We have to get her back to the Mystery Shack."

"I'll get the golf cart," Dipper said. "You stay with her." He got up and headed in that direction as quickly as he could.

Mabel waited, cradling the girl's head in her lap.

Finally, after what felt like hours, but was probably only five minutes, she heard the revving of the golf cart.

Dipper was driving, and Ford was sitting in the passenger's side, looking worried. He jumped out of the cart before it even came to a complete stop and knelt down next to Mabel. He gently laid a hand on her head and furrowed his brows.

"Looks like she has a concussion," he said. "We have to let her get some rest." He put his arms underneath her, lifted her up, and laid her in the back of the golf cart.

As he did so, a large pink flower fell from Wendy's pocket. Mabel examined it, recognizing it as the flower from the other day, and picked it up, quickly slipping it in her own pocket. It must be very important to her.

"You coming, Mabel?" Ford asked.

"Yeah, just a second!"

Mabel hung on the back of the golf cart as Dipper drove back as gently as he could. As soon as they pulled into the dirt driveway of the shack, Dipper turned it off and hopped out.

"I'm heading into town to find Mr. Higgsbury," he told Mabel and Ford.

"Don't stay out after dark," Ford told him. "If we have to, we can look for him tomorrow."

Dipper nodded and ran down the path towards the town.

Ford picked Wendy up again and carried her up the porch. Mabel opened the door ahead of him to let him inside.

Inside, Grunkle Stan was cleaning off some shelves. He turned around. "Geez, slackers. Run off and le- What's going on? Is she okay?"

"She has a concussion Stanley, but I think she'll be alright," Ford explained, doing his best to keep Wendy level. "I'm going to put her in the extra room. Dipper's off looking for her caretakers now."

Mabel led the way, checking back to make sure the girl was doing alright. When she got to the extra room, she laid down some pillows and blankets, so the old couch wouldn't be so uncomfortable.

Ford set her down, fixing her head to make it more comfortable. "I'm going out to help Dipper. When she wakes up, she's going to be dizzy. Try to get some food in her." He walked briskly out of the room, leaving Mabel alone with the unconscious young teen.

Mabel stood there, unsure of what to do. A large pig (who would have been larger, if not for a shrink ray), walked into the room and sniffed Wendy's hand, before giving it a lick.

She stared at the pig, then perked up. "C'mon, Waddles, let's go make some pudding!"

…

 _The darkness swirled around her. Was it really darkness? Was darkness supposed to be able to think?_

 _She shivered, for even she feared this presence. She called out for her friends, for her sister, for her uncle._

 _…_

 _But nobody came._

 _The shapes around her swirled even more ferociously, gradually becoming solid. Her vision became tinted with red._

 _One of Them leapt at her. She held up her hands to defend herself with a cry._

CLANG!

…

"Waddles!" Mabel scolded. "Don't get up on the table! Look at all the pans you made fall over!"

The pig seemingly couldn't care less, but he did oblige and get down.

"The pudding just needs to go in the fridge for a little bit, and then there'll be enough for… everybody…" Mabel's voice trailed off. Standing in the doorway of the kitchen was Wendy, staring at her with her unnaturally pale blue eyes. "Oh! You really shouldn't be up! Your head is still pretty-"

"Where are my possessions?" she interrupted.

"Uh… what?" Mabel asked.

" My s... My flower. Where is my flower?" She looked almost angry.

Mabel stared at her, a bit worried. "I do have your flower… but are you just going to run if I give it to you?"

"Yes."

"Then I can't give it to you," Mabel told her. "You need to eat-" Wendy rushed forward.

"I don't care about that. Give her back."

"'Her'?" Mabel asked, raising an eyebrow. "Please, don't. I promise I'll give it back, but you need to wait for Mr. Higgsbury here, and you should eat something."

She slouched, looking very weak. "Why? I don't care about him, and I really doubt he cares about me. And I've done enough bad things to you." Her stomach gave a growl. "You shouldn't share with people who do bad things."

"What are you talking about? You were just lonely! What's wrong with that?" Mabel asked, putting the pudding in the fridge and hunting around for any leftovers. Nothing. She checked the freezer and found a half-gallon of chocolate ice cream. Better than nothing…

Wendy was shaking and looking a bit green. "Uh… You can sit, you know. It's not a bad thing to do." Wendy glanced to the nearby chairs and reluctantly took a seat, doing her best to sit up straight. "Want some ice cream?"

Wendy glanced around, looking a bit fearful. Was she afraid of ice cream or something? "Perhaps I will have a small bit…"

Mabel gave her a heaping bowl, topped with chocolate sauce and nuts.

"Uh… thank you," Wendy said, taking tiny bites.

"No problem!" Mabel told her, giving herself a bowl. "I know you're probably homesick, but if you ever want someone to talk to-"

"I don't have any other home. This is my home, now," Wendy interrupted. "And I do have someone to talk to."

"But you're always alone at school," Mabel stated. "And Mr. Higgsbury told us that you used to live with your uncle."

"Oh, that's what he told you, did he?" Wendy asked her. "Well, simply put, he lied. And I bet he told you that he's looking after me for him, too? Well, he does it out of guilt. A plan of his led to the death of my uncle, and he feels a sense of debt to me for it. But I don't care. I'm glad he's dead. He deserved it, and if Wilson had any sense, he'd be glad, too."

Mabel stared at her, jaw dropped. "You're… glad your uncle is dead?" Her voice quavered.

Wendy pushed her bowl of ice cream to the table and looked around, warily, once more. She rubbed the scar on her cheek. "Did you know Wilson is almost blind in one eye? My uncle is indirectly to blame for that." She sighed. "I'm not saying we didn't make mistakes and that we shouldn't suffer for them. But my uncle was a bad man. He waited until we had moments of weakness and then he struck us while we were down." She lowered her head. "And we gave into our temptations and were nearly consumed by darkness. We'll likely never recover until we reach the end of this life."

Mabel's hands shook slightly. The ice cream in front of her didn't look so appetizing anymore. A sudden loud burping startled her and Wendy.

"Mabel, do you have any grub cooked or do I have to order dinner?" Grunkle Stan walked in, unable to read the mood. He caught sight of the blonde. "Oh yeah, you're here. At least you're up."

She stared at him, looking him up and down slowly. She had an unreadable expression. Finally, she lowered her head and mumbled something.

"What's that?" Stan asked.

She lifted up her head, and Mabel and Stan exchanged a distressed glance. Tears were brimming up in copious amounts and her face was scrunched up from trying to stop them. "Of course They'll still use Their influence to torture me. I will never be able to forget my sins."

"Hey, hey," Mabel whispered. She gestured to Stan to leave the room, which he did, uncomfortable with the crying girl. "What's wrong?"

Wendy shook with suppressed sobs. "I'm wrong. I'm just a half and now I exist on my own."

"What do you mean?" Mabel asked, trying to calm her down.

"I was a twin too," she whispered. "Her name was Abigail. But she's been dead for a long time, now."

Mabel stepped back in shock.

"That flower was hers," Wendy told her, looking up. She seemed to be crying a bit less, but somehow looked even sadder than before.

Mabel felt terrible for keeping it away from her and pulled it back out. Wendy accepted it and held it reverently in cupped hands. "For a while, I still had a connection to her with this..." Wendy said, holding it close to her face. "But now..." She suddenly slammed her hand down on the table, making Mabel jump about a foot. She raised it again. Wendy had just killed a fly. "She has moved on. And I walk alone once more. Yet I keep the flower to remind me of her."

Mabel stared at her. She couldn't imagine how much it would hurt to lose any member of her family, let alone Dipper. "What was she like?" Mabel asked, after a moment.

Wendy looked up. "Pardon?"

"Your sister. What was she like?"

Wendy's eyes misted over. "Abi was... She was... Well, we were different in every way. She had the cheerfulness and energy I didn't. She was much louder and happier. She was fiercely protective. She didn't... When everybody else said I was crazy for the things I saw, she believed me. And then... She thought that she could get my kite. It wasn't that high up in the tree… but the branches were brittle and... And..." Tears began to fall once more. "She was so much stronger than me. But... she left me. And then, at her funeral... that was when my uncle came. And he used my sorrow to manipulate me." Her voice took on a tinge of rage. It steadied once more. "And then... I met the others."

Mabel stared at the flower in her hands. "I can't imagine how hard that must have been. And you must miss her more than anyone. I think she probably misses you too." Wendy sniffed. "But if she wanted you to be safe, why did you run away?"

Wendy was silent. Finally, she spoke. "Abigail... wanted to leave, not because she wouldn't miss me, but because she thought I was safe with the others. But I'm not safe. I'm still chained back to my mistakes."

"Can't they help you?" Mabel asked, unsure of what those mistakes were. Wendy was her age after all.

"No. They made mistakes, same as I," Wendy told her, solemnly. "We are all chained."

Mabel thought on that. "Maybe your sister didn't leave you behind because she thought you were safe." Wendy stared. "Maybe she left because she wanted you to be with people who knew what you went through. Did... Abigail make the same mistake as you?"

Wendy's eyes widened. "Oh, never! Abigail... She would never make the same mistakes... Or, would she? I-I don't know."

"But she didn't. So she didn't know what it felt like to be in your position? But your friends do, right?"

Wendy nodded, slowly. "Actually… One of them knows almost the exact pain I was through. But I thought that he was over it."

"Haven't you been pretending you're okay?" Mabel asked.

Wendy's eyes lit up slightly with realization. "I guess I thought… everybody just wanted to forget what we'd been through. But that was how I met them. I don't want to forget it."

"You should talk to them," Mabel told her.

"I… I've spent so long thinking about how much I was suffering, I didn't bother to think how the others were coping. I've been a bad person," Wendy lamented.

"Don't say that!" Mabel urged. "You were just lonely! One thing I've learned is that if someone won't talk about something, you have to go and force it out of them! Like with Dipper and his crush!"

"What are you talking about!?" Dipper said, walking into the kitchen. He stopped when he saw Wendy. "Oh… Are you okay?"

"I am much better," she replied. She rubbed the petals of the flower in her hand.

"We didn't find Mr. Higgsbury, but… Someone else who said he knows you is outside?" Dipper said, phrasing it like a question. "Ford's talking to him."

Wendy flitted out of the kitchen and looked out the window. In the fading sunlight, there stood a man in a plaid shirt, talking to Ford and holding an axe. A lumberjack.

"Oh, it's Woodie," she said flatly, seemingly unconcerned with the fact he was holding a giant axe. She opened the door.

"Wendy, little buddy!" he exclaimed, pushing past Ford. "Oh, sorry," he apologized. He continued. "Everybody's been so worried! Webber couldn't sleep without Wickerbottom's books, Willow almost burned down an entire forest she was so upset, and Wilson… Wilson's been having really bad Nightmares." The way he said it, it seemed like it was more than just nightmares.

Wendy hung her head. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't care about someone like me."

"We do care! What are you talking about?!" The lumberjack, Woodie, took a deep breath. "I guess we'll talk about it when we get back home. Is your head okay? Do you need me to carry you?"

"I'm not a little kid!" she exclaimed, blushing. She winced, grabbing her head. "I have a headache, and I'm rather hungry…" she sighed.

Woodie pulled something out of his pocket and flopped it on her head.

"I feel better, but I'm still hungry," she replied, not skipping a beat.

"Well, we have pudding!" Mabel said, pushing out of the doorway. "Just a sec!" She ran back into the house and hurriedly scooped a heaping serving out of the pot for all present parties, then ran back out to said confused parties.

"Here you go!" She handed everyone some, and Wendy the biggest. Mabel was quite pleased to see her scarf it down quickly.

"Erm, thanks…" the bewildered lumberjack said.

After they finished, the two visitors got up. "Well, I guess we ought to get home before it gets dark," the Woodie stated. Wendy nodded.

She turned as though she remembered something. "If… If y-you'd like to c-come to my house, sometime… sometime soon… only if you want to… I have a lot of embroidery floss and beads for bracelets… and cross-stitch," she stuttered. Was she blushing?

Mabel was struck by how shy she had suddenly become. "I'd love that!"

Woodie chuckled. "Thanks again. We'll try to return the favor someday."

"I just hope nobody gets into any more trouble," Ford said.

Dipper and Mabel thought in unison, _Yeah, right_.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow," Wendy said. The two of them turned and walked away, pulling out flashlights in order to stave off the darkness.

 _Dipper thought that was a pretty sad story. It must have been really hard for her. I hope nobody else bullies her again._

 _I wonder who she thought was a lot like her._

…

Wendy kicked up leaves as she walked down the trail.

"You're going to be in so much trouble when we get back," Woodie said. "Ms. Wickerbottom's going to show no mercy."

"I can imagine," Wendy replied, gloomy. She stared off into the distance. "Woodie… do you still miss Lucy?"

Woodie stopped walking for a moment. Wendy stopped, too. Finally, he spoke. "Not a day goes by I don't miss her." He stared at the axe that her spirit had once inhabited. It had lost its red sheen since then.

"I never asked you… but… do you ever feel it was your fault she died?" Woodie looked at her. "Abigail had many conversations with her. She mentioned some to me."

"I… I don't know," Woodie said. "She never said she blamed me. She said it wasn't my fault that that… monster killed her."

Wendy pulled out Abigail's flower. "Abi told me it wasn't my fault. That she was too reckless. I should have known better."

Woodie stared at the flower. "We're kindred spirits, eh?"

"We aren't the only ones who've suffered loss, but we are more similar to each other than to the others," Wendy agreed.

"Maybe… Maybe it's time we start believing what they told us," Woodie stated. "And… I hate the term 'move on'. And I don't want to forget."

"Move forward? With them guiding us?" Wendy tried.

"I like that one."

Willow didn't question anything when she found a beautiful red chrysanthemum lying next to an axe in the woods nearby their houses. She simply returned a few minutes later with a candle. "Missing you guys," she said, folding her hands.

 **Hopefully the next one won't take so long.**


End file.
